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Wisepreneurs | Independent Professionals Building Practice on Their Own Terms

The Wisepreneurs Podcast features conversations with experienced professionals, authors, academics, and consultants about building sustainable practice on their own terms.

Hosted by Nigel Rawlins, the show explores how experienced independent professionals position accumulated expertise, work with AI tools, and use the cognitive advantages that come with decades of professional experience.

Topics include positioning, professional transitions, cognitive vitality, relational branding, and the changing nature of knowledge work.

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Wisepreneurs | Independent Professionals Building Practice on Their Own Terms

Melisa Liberman Solopreneur Business Development for Experienced Consultants

January 02, 2026 • Nigel Rawlins • Season 1 • Episode 82

0:00 | 52:01

Systematic business development for independent consultants who want predictable revenue without employees or feast-famine cycles. Melisa Liberman coaches experienced professionals to build consulting practices generating $500,000+ using quantifiable metrics rather than hope-based pipeline management.

A consultant for 13 years and now a coach for independent professionals, Melisa explains why consultants who think like CEOs rather than subject matter experts scale faster. Her Business Development Formula creates predictable pipeline through diagnostic conversations that eliminate adversarial selling.

The conversation covers six pathways for generating leads without cold outreach, how AI amplifies consulting capability while human judgment justifies premium rates, and why fractional support networks replace traditional hiring for solo consultants who want to grow without adding headcount.

For experienced professionals building an independent practice or considering the transition from corporate employment, Melisa provides strategic frameworks grounded in the mechanics of how consulting businesses actually develop.

Wisepreneurs explores how women over 50 monetize expertise and build sustainable solopreneur practice.

Melisa's resources

Pipeline Scorecard Assessment: pipelinescorecard.com

IC Growth Podcast: icgrowthpodcast.com

Melisa's Website: melisaliberman.com

Consultant Sprint: consultantsprint.com

Melisa's Book: Available through her website, includes chapter on working "on the business" (WOB) vs "in the business" (WIB) to prevent feast-famine cycles

AI Tools Discussed:

ChatGPT, Gemini

Connect with Melisa: LinkedIn: Melisa Liberman

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